I love a good bargain. Who doesn't? Well, I guess there are some people in this world, who make enough money that they don't care too much about price. However, since I've never been one of those people and never will be, I like to get things for cheap or free!
My family makes fun of me for being cheap. I term myself as being frugal. This stems from my childhood where we never had any money. Since I was 12 I babysat and bought all my own clothes, paid for my own entertainment (I even bought my own contact solution), paid my way through college, etc. I knew my mom didn't have any money, so it wasn't any good to ask her for any. Due to this upbringing, I learned to save my money so I would have it when I really needed it. I generally didn't like to spend money on things I didn't really need or thought were frivolous, hence my family thinking I was cheap.
I have loosened up a lot over the past couple of years (although my family doesn't believe it, or my husband). However, I still love getting a bargain on just about anything and still have a hard time paying full price for some things, like furniture or clothing. I just can't justify spending $30 on a shirt. I think it's ridiculous. I shop the sales and clearance items and usually find really good deals. I just bought a pair of really nice jeans for $8. And it just so happened that that day the store was doing a no sales tax day, so I got it for a straight $8!
I like to look at craigslist and have gotten a lot of good deals from there. We got our bed for $40, just bought a coffee table and end table for $20. They're sturdy, solid wood. They need to be sanded and painted, but that's a small price to pay for a $10 coffee table. I have gotten Anna toys for $17, that would have cost me well over $50.
Today, I went to a consignment store for baby clothes and got Anna a pair of shoes, 2 skirts, and large leggo type blocks all for $10 (There was a 50% off sale on certain items and I only bought those items). The clothes are in great condition and are so cute. Had I bought these new, it would have cost me probably $50. I love getting awesome deals like this! It seriously makes my day to know that I got something for so cheap, that otherwise would have cost me so much more. I'm all about spending less money in areas like this, and saving money for the future.
As for free stuff, you can't really control that. For some reason, I have been blessed to have received a lot of stuff in the past 2 years for free. It's been pretty amazing. A lot of furniture and baby stuff. Garage sales are another way to get awesome deals on stuff. I got some baby clothes for 50 cents-$1 a few months ago. They were really cute clothes too. Garage sales are hit and miss, so it just depends on what you can find.
I guess I'm just constantly in the cheap/save money/get a good deal mode all the time. It's pretty amazing what you can get when you keep an eye out for things and don't automatically assume you need to pay full price.
3 comments:
Unfortunately, I am so not as frugal as you and don't have the patience to take the time to find deals. Fred would tell you I was spoiled growing up and yes I was but I wasn't a spoiled brat at least!! I wish I had the patience and will to be as frugal as you but I don't. I commend you for doing it though!! That's awesome! I don't even know where to start finding random deals like you!
It's funny, I was just thinking of doing a post about saving money :) Have you ever checked out moneysavingmom.com? AWESOME! A bunch of women have done the research about great deals, send you links to coupons and all kinds of free stuff. I've got free pictures, products, and saved over a hundred dollars off my grocery bill through the information in their newsletter. LOVE it! Oh, and Old Navy is having a $3 t-shirt sale today if you're interested :)
You know what? I believe that because your heart is in the right place the Lord truly blesses you! I have noticed that since I have put myself on a tighter budget and honestly mean business about it the Lord really has shown me a way to get what I need and even what I want. Things and opportunities just come in ways that I never would have imagined! It's so cool to see how that has truly worked for you! And honestly, living the way you do is how rich people stay rich. Don't ever feel bad about being wise.
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